Sonic Reducer

By Simon McCormack

Bang! Bang!Decked Out(Morphius Records)

The first full-length release from Chicago sex rockers Bang! Bang! ain’t all fun and games. They may sound quite a bit like the B-52’s, but, aside from a few cheeky tracks like “Nervous Tick,” Bang! Bang! maintains a punkish presence more evocative of Babes in Toyland or L7 than of more glitzy new wave revivalists. Bang! Bang! give bands like The Epoxies and Menthol something to consider with their less flippant approach to the genre.

Yeah Yeah YeahsShow Your Bones(Interscope)

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs had better prepare for the big time (or at least for MTV2 megastardom). Show Your Bones is more produced than 2003’s Fever to Tell, possibly as a result of a contractual contingency built into their newly signed contract with Interscope Records. Still, there are plenty of hard-to-swallow and purposefully imperfect moments littering Show Your Bones’ field of play. Overall, there is a level of cohesion and purpose that was, for the most part, absent from Fever. The album’s first track, “Golden Lion,” could quickly become a mainstream hit.